Face To Face

A few minutes earlier, when the explosions had ceased, Joseph’s keen ears picked up something new—footsteps. Unlike the heavy tread of the big boy orcs, these were much softer. Alongside them came faint clinks of equipment and indistinct chatter.

He stayed still in the ceiling’s darkness, thoughts grinding. ‘That doesn’t sound like monsters… survivors? … I can’t let my guard down, people can be worse than beasts, and more unpredictable.’

Playing it safe, he conjured a fire, as he had done before, and waited until the newcomers came into view. Rounding the far corner of the corridor, three figures emerged: a muscular man at the front carrying a great shield, a slimmer man in the middle with a sword drawn, and a woman at the back holding a staff.

Joseph tracked their steps. Calm, coordinated, weapons already in hand. Not panicked stragglers or newbies looking for a fight. Well organized, confident, while not extruding a veteran aura, they were clearly not to be underestimated either.

Unsure how to proceed, Joseph waited until they were within five meters of the fire. Then, with deliberate precision, he loosed an arrow. It shot past the woman’s head and embedded in the floor behind them. Another arrow was instantly nocked.

“Don’t move!” Joseph’s voice rang out, echoing off the stone walls. “Unless you’re suicidal, then go ahead. First—big guy at the front. Drop the shield. I’d hate to turn that nice shield into useless Swiss cheese.”

Logan and Che turned to Han for guidance. Han’s eyes flicked to the arrow in the floor, his expression tight as he weighed their options.

Another arrow whistled down, spearing Logan’s foot. “I said don’t move and drop the shield, not take all day thinking. Put the shield down, or the next one won’t miss.”

Logan gritted his teeth against the pain, holding firm. But when Han patted his shoulder and told him to lower it, he reluctantly complied, letting the heavy shield clatter against the stone.

“Good. Now we can have a civilized talk. But first—the girl at the back. Step out from behind them. I can’t risk you sneaking a spell at me.”

Che glanced at Han, who gave a slight nod. Nervously, she moved into the open. Joseph watched her carefully, bowstring fully drawn. ‘One spark of magic and it’s over.’ He thought.

He wanted to keep to his vantage point at first, but he knew a proper talk would require his direct presence. Leaving his sack behind, he dropped from the concrete platform dropping from the ceiling’s darkness.

All three froze in shock at how suddenly he appeared. Han, especially, felt a bead of sweat trickle down his back. In that moment, he realized exactly how Joseph had killed the roaming Rukvar’s and remained hidden all this time.

Han broke the tense silence lifting his hands up and away from his sword. “Hello. We mean no harm. I’m Han, this is Logan, and Che. We were following the markings on the walls. When we heard explosions, we rushed here to help.”

Joseph stayed quiet for a moment, eyes locked on Che’s every movement. “Is rushing toward explosions normal for people trying to survive? Did you come because you thought there was no fight? Or would you have jumped in if you thought it was something you could exploit?”

The pointed words left Han cautious. If he answered poorly, they’d all be corpses. He chose carefully. “I can’t deny there’s a chance of that, but only if the people fighting were clearly dangerous. I try to help as many as I can. I don’t expect you to just take my word for it but that’s the truth.”

While Joseph considered, Han used the moment to activate his skill, scanning Joseph’s stats. What he saw chilled him.

‘Well I for sure know who killed those Rukvar now. His status is incredibly inflated for his level and he has an E+-ranked class. Spirit related at that, I’m not sure how a human has gotten a spirit series class but I know for sure I do not want him as my enemy, if anything…’

Easing his concerned expression, Han let out a deep breath. To show sincerity, Han did something he’d never thought he’d have to do again: he threw aside his sword. Then he gestured to Logan and Che. Though reluctant, they followed his lead, discarding their weapons over to the side.

Joseph lowered his bow slightly but kept the arrow nocked, confused how the other two so confidently followed the main man’s lead without a single question. His paranoia whispered to be careful. ‘Too easy. Too trusting. Why? What’s their plan?’

With a sweep of his hand, he raised a dome of concrete over their weapons, leaving only an opening on his side.

His Spirit Sight showed no weapons hidden in the shadows, and his Focused Hearing picked up nothing nearby. He shifted the fire to the middle and sat down, motioning for them to join.

Relieved, Han sat while Che helped Logan tend to his bleeding foot.

“Why give up your weapons so easily?” Joseph asked, his voice flat. “You don’t know me. Honestly, there was a fifty-fifty chance I was going to just shoot you all anyway.”

Han kept his tone calm. “I have a skill that lets me read others’ emotions toward me. It told me you weren’t hostile, so I trusted it.”

Joseph narrowed his eyes. ‘That doesn’t seem quite right. He doesn’t look like type to have an emotion-based class or skill, and his teammates looked surprised by what he said even if only momentarily.

So either he has never told them or he’s lying. Still… it’s been so long since I’ve talked to someone, they may also have useful information... I’ll press him once more and if it doesn’t sound right I’ll send them on their way. However, I do wonder if people give experience just like monsters…?’

“Do you really have a skill that reads emotions? Your answer decides what happens next, whatever that result may be.” Joseph said firmly.

Han hesitated but kept on a still, friendly face on the outside. ‘Does he know something? Did I slip up? Did I misread the situation?’ His eyes momentarily drifted to the concrete dome over the weapons and his companions.

But under Joseph’s unblinking stare, he sighed. “Yes and no. I do have a skill that helps me judge people’s nature, but that’s not its main function. I hope you understand I can’t just tell you outright.”

“I understand… we all need our secrets.” Joseph looked them over once more before coming to a decision. Setting down his bow against the floor, Han’s nerves eased as Joseph spoke again. “So… what now? If you have something to say, say it. If you have information that may be useful for me, then maybe we can work out some sort of deal.”

Logan and Che hesitantly joined in around the fire. Logan’s bandaged wound oozed green gunk through the cloth. With the two parties at either ends of the fire.

While the atmosphere was tense, Han started the conversation hoping to cut through the wall he felt around Joseph. “As I said earlier we truly came here to check if you needed help. Its clear that wasn’t needed, but that is the truth.”

Jospeh waved his hand in a disinterested manner. “You’ve said that, and I couldn’t care less, if you have nothing of value to say then this conversation isn’t worth my time.”

Nodding Han continued to his main point. “Quite frankly, I would like you to join our party…”

The other two exchanged a quick glance at Han, still wary of Joseph after their first encounter as their heart rate refused to calm, still Han pressed on. “We found your previous work, the Rukvar in the main chamber, the magic, the notes, all of that. We also came across the corpse of one of the Elder Rukvar stalking the labyrinth…”

Joseph’s ears perked as he eagerly absorbed the new information, though mostly just the names. Han continued. “It’s clear that you have strength, wit and survival skills, all things we desperately need. We don’t have much to offer you except provisions and anything else I can manage but, this will be beneficial for the both of us!”